A Family Movie To Remember

Okay so I just got back from seeing The Karate Kid, and I must say this was definitely one of the shocker's for me this summer. This movie was actually really good. I must admit that Jaden Smith is turning out to be a really good actor. This movie is very reminiscent of the original Karate Kid, but with a modern twist on it. This movie has a good plot, memorable characters, and an inspiring ending. This does contain some spoilers.

The plot starts with Jaden Smith's character, Troy, and Taraji P. Henson, his mother, moving to China because of a career opportunity. Troy is desperately trying to adapt to a new culture and language, but not exactly doing well at it. Even as he tries to make friends and gradually develops a crush, he is attacked by an admirer of his crush that also knows how to fight. After his public humiliation Troy is trained by Jackie Chan, playing the Mr. Miyagi character. Although if you have seen the original you can probably guess the outline of the plot, still there are a lot of surprises plus you'll learn a few Chinese phrases.

The characters in the movie are very reminiscent of the original movie. Troy is a likeable average kid who is placed in this situation and you can't help but side with him. He is trying his hardest to fit in, only he constantly being bullied to the point he's actually scared to go to school. Taraji P. Henson does an excellent job as his mother, constantly wanting him to "pick up his jacket" and giving him lots of love and support. And Jackie Chan does more than his usual comedy routine in this movie, he actually exposes himself as an actor giving a very vulnerable crying scene. The characters were awesome in this movie.

I won't give away the last move that Troy does in the end once he has entered the tournament, but just know it is great. This movie really showcases the bond between mother and child and the bond between master and student. The only thing that made me a little sad about the ending was the masters didn't fight, but I guess that was simply one of the changes they were going for.

This is one of those movies that you definitely need to go see. This movie is one for the whole family to see, it has a love story for girls and kung fu for boys. The movie would be worth seeing in general but especially because of the tournament at the end, those kids are tough. This movie exposes Chinese culture from a different perspective so if gives the audience a chance to really appreciate. This movie is a five out of five, that's it for The Karate Kid movie review.